The newly elected Central Election Commission (CEC) held its first meeting on Friday, 3 February 2023, at which the Deputy Chairperson and the Secretary of the Commission were elected by secret ballot from among the members of the Commission. Baiba Veisa (“THE UNITED LIST – Latvian Green Party, Latvian Regional Alliance, Liepāja Party) was elected as the Deputy Chairperson of the CEC by eight votes in favour and one against, while Ritvars Eglājs (National Alliance "All For Latvia!" - "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK") was elected unanimously as the Secretary of the CEC.
Baiba Veisa will take this post for the first time. Ritvars Eglājs has been a member of the CEC since April 2011, while as the Secretary he has been in office since March 2012.
The new composition of the CEC was approved by the Saeima on 2 February, when Kristīne Saulīte was elected as the Chairperson of the CEC. As Members of the Central Election Commission were elected Aldis Austers (“PROGRESSIVES”), Ringolds Balodis (LATVIA FIRST), Ritvars Eglājs (National Alliance "All For Latvia!" - "For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK"), Dzinta Kusiņa (Union of Greens and Farmers), Katarina Ogorodņika ("Stability!"), Sanita Stelpe-Seglina (New UNITY) and Baiba Veisa (THE UNITED LIST – Latvian Green Party, Latvian Regional Alliance, Liepāja Party).
The Law On the Central Election Commission states that the Saeima should, not later than six months after the convening thereof, establish the Central Election Commission. The Central Election Commission consists of nine members, of which the Chairperson and seven members of the Commission are elected by the Saeima, and one member from among the judges is elected by the Supreme Court in its Plenary Assembly. On 12 December last year, Ms. Marika Senkāne, a Senator of the Department of Civil Cases was re-elected as a member of the Central Election Commission from the Supreme Court.
The Central Election Commission is a permanently functioning elected public institution, whose duties are to ensure the enforcement, as well as uniform and correct application of the Law on the Election of the Saeima, the Election to the European Parliament Law and the City Council and Municipality Council Election Law and the law On National Referendum and Legislative Initiative, and also to control accurate enforcement of these laws.
CEC Information Department